International Coalition for Sustainable Production and Consumption (ICSPAC)

Information

Date submitted: 1 Nov 2011

Stakeholder type: Major Group

Name: International Coalition for Sustainable Production and Consumption (ICSPAC)

Submission Document: Not available

Keywords:
Agenda 21 (1 hits),

General Content

a) What are the expectations for the outcome of Rio+20, and what are the concrete proposals in this regard, including views on a possible structure of the Outcome document?

[Note: ICSPAC is a voluntary online community of individuals and organizations interested and involved in promoting sustainable production and consumption values, practices, and policies. The views expressed in the following emerged from various internal discussions but do not necessarily reflect all members of this community.]

It is important that the Rio+20 Outcome document clarify the role of sustainable consumption and production in the green economy. Given that achieving SCP was agreed at the World Summit on Sustainable Development to be one of the three overarching objectives of sustainable development, it is therefore important to show how the ?green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication? contributes to that overarching SCP objective as well as how SCP initiatives can implement the transition to green economies.
b) What are the comments, if any, on existing proposals: e.g., a green economy roadmap, framework for action, sustainable development goals, a revitalized global partnership for sustainable development, or others?

One existing proposal which is not yet officially associated with Rio+20 is the Ten Year Framework of Programs (10YFP) in support of regional and national SCP initiatives. This proposal, agreed to by the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in 2002 needs to be integrated into the Rio+20 agenda and outcomes.

Another important but less known proposal is for a global research program on sustainable production and consumption, which could help advance knowledge and exchange among countries and regions in addressing the drivers of unsustainable development as well as identifying and assessing new and old methods and strategies for enhancing sustainability from the global to the local.
c) What are the views on implementation and on how to close the implementation gap, which relevant actors are envisaged as being involved (Governments, specific Major Groups, UN system, IFIs, etc.);

There are thousands of such initiatives operating within each region, from national government programs to local neighborhood cooperative efforts ? all addressing a different element of the production/consumption system and working to make it sustainable. These initiatives, organizations and networks need the support and programs promised by the WSSD in 2002. These groups are still waiting for that support. Rio+20 can address their needs by making the 10YFP one of its outcomes, finally implementing the promise made a decade ago. With the overall Rio+20 theme of ?renewal of commitment to sustainable development,? it is essential that the conference honor and implement such earlier commitments.
d) What specific cooperation mechanisms, partnership arrangements or other implementation tools are envisaged and what is the relevant time frame for the proposed decisions to be reached and actions to be implemented?

One voluntary partnership that emerged during preparations for the Johanessburg Summit and which continues to evolve is the International Coalition for Sustainable Development, which is also a UN Partnership. This is a multi-stakeholder global community of individuals and organizations promoting the values, practices and policies of sustainable consumption and production. Support from and engagement by such communities of sustainability advocates is critical to the transition to sustainable or green economies.

Specific Elements

a) Objective of the Conference: To secure renewed political commitment for sustainable development, assessing the progress to date and remaining gaps in the implementation of the outcomes of the major summits on sustainable development and addressing new and emerging challenges.

Contributions could include possible sectoral priorities (e.g., (e.g., energy, food security and sustainable agriculture, technology transfer, water, oceans, sustainable urbanization, sustainable consumption and production, natural disaster preparedness and climate change adaptation, biodiversity, etc.) and sectoral initiatives that contribute to integrate the three pillars of sustainable development could be launched and endorsed at Rio+20.

The 2002 WSSD diagnosis of the ?implementation gap? was that it was not only a ?lack of political will? in following through on the commitments of the Rio Declaration and Agenda 21, but global consumption and production patterns outpacing improvements in energy and materials efficiency, public environmental awareness, and innovation.

Achieving sustainable consumption and production was thus agreed to be one of the three ?overarching objectives of sustainable development? in addition to eradicating poverty and protecting natural resources. Reaching this SCP objective required a strategy to identify and address the causes and reverse these worsening trends of the previous decade. In response, the 10-Year Framework of Programs was agreed by WSSD delegates to support the various national and regional initiative targeting these underlying consumption/ production drivers.

The 10YFP remains one of the prominent gaps in implementation. Rio+20's adoption of the 10YFP and the promotion of programs supporting regional and national SCP/green economy initiatives would be an important indicator of nations renewed commitment to achieving this overarching and essential objective of sustainable development.
b) Green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication: views regarding how green economy can be a means to achieve sustainable development in its three dimensions, and poverty eradication; what is its potential added value; experience to date, including what has worked and how to build upon success, what are the challenges and opportunities and how to address the challenges and seize opportunities, and possible elements of an agreement in outcome document on a green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication

At CSD19, the concept of ?green economy? was criticized by the G77/China and others for not being clearly defined and possibly being used to give developed countries an unfair economic advantage over developing countries. Others have voiced concern that the proposals for green economy do not go far enough, that they do not adequately address the need for more systemic changes in the economy. Here is where the ideas and efforts of those actively working to achieve sustainable production and consumption and thus sustainable economies offer valuable insights and experience in the practical work of making the economy more sustainable, moving beyond efficiency to sufficiency, on improving the well-being of everyone. These initiatives need the world?s support.
c) Institutional framework for sustainable development: Priorities and proposals for strengthening individual pillars of sustainable development, as well as those for strengthening integration of the three pillars, at multiple levels; local, national, regional and international.

Given that achieving SCP is one of the overarching objectives of sustainable development, the institutional Framework for Sustainable Development should incorporate the Institutional structure mandated by the WSSD in 2002 to achieve the SCP objective. This is the 10-Year Framework of Programs (10YFP) to support national and regional initiatives promoting sustainable consumption and production. Although the ideas for this framework were successfully negotiated and agreed at the 19th Session of CSD, they have yet to be implemented. The UN Conference on Sustainable Development has a timely opportunity to adopt this 10YFP as one of the positive constructive institutional outcomes for moving the sustainable development agenda forward.

Considering that many of the national and regional green economy initiatives proposed or already active also contribute to a particular area of sustainable consumption and/or production, the 10YFP represents an important new institutional structure committed to encouraging, promoting and providing critical support to those green economy/SCP initiatives. This could easily be one of the important and tangible outcomes, especially if attention is directed to the needs of developing countries and communities through global and regional programs mandated to support their initiatives. National and regional green economy/SCP initiatives obviously need support from ?green investment,? but they also need research, indicators and information on trends, technologies, consumer behavior, as well as technical assistance, publicity, and other types of support which could be provided through global, regional and national framework activities over the next decade.
d) Any proposals for refinement of the two themes. Recall that Resolution 64/236 describes the focus of the Conference: "The focus of the Conference will include the following themes to be discussed and refined during the preparatory process: a green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication and the institutional framework for sustainable development".